


She already knows

by Clockwork



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Gen, Mother's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-07 20:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6823714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockwork/pseuds/Clockwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karen couldn't let Mother's Day go without bringing flowers to Maria Castle's grave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She already knows

Sometimes the hardest things in life was knowing that you weren’t entirely alone, even when you were at your loneliest. 

Ellison would stop in on Karen within five minutes of her arriving at the Bulletin, a cup of what passed for coffee there in hand, and another for her. Even when she had her own paper cup in hand. Foggy called at the oddest, most random moments. He would ask her advice on legal things, bouncing ideas off her as he had when they had all worked together, or to suggest dinner, or just to ramble on about anything. Usually followed up with a handful of texts throughout the day. They weren’t the only two to check on her.

Not that the others were that obvious about it, but she caught the glimpse, from time to time. Shadows above her as she unlocked her door, just a glimmer, movement, and then nothing. Sounds that she should be worried about, but that somehow brought her comfort. Maybe it wasn’t Matt, or the other option, Castle, but so long as she never turned around to find herself face to face with Wilson Fisk, she was going to take them as positive signs.

Despite it all, she was still very much alone in the world. She worked late hours, ate out of to go boxes, and fought the urge daily to go to Matt’s place and pound on the door until he opened it. Early in the morning. When he was likely just crawled into bed. Okay so there was still a bit of bitterness left, but she was working through it. At least as best she could.

Yet when Mother’s Day came, and Ellison insisted he was going to padlock her office if he caught her in there on that Sunday, she realized that she needed something else to do with her day.

Not even thinking about what she was going to do with them when she picked up flowers from a street vendors. Cradling them in her arms, she didn’t think twice though about hailing down a cab. 

“New Calvary in Woodside.”

She could claim she didn’t know why she was going but she did. She had one mother who deserved to be honored on this day, one who might not have anyone else there for her and her children.

The cabbie agreed to wait, not questioning it as they might normally do. Maybe it was the date and the flowers. Maybe he was that bored. Whatever it was, Karen didn’t entirely expect him to still be there when she came back. Especially because knowing which cemetery and knowing where they lay was not the same thing.

She found them not by the tombstones, but by the sight of someone else sitting on the ground before the trio of tombstones. Even in the spring air he wore a dark coat, a stocking cap pulled down over his head, the familiar lines of his profile making her heart race even as Karen stumbled to a stop, taking several steps backward over the grass. She thought she was silent, heels muffled on the grass. Castle didn’t move. He didn’t look up. His voice carried anyway.

“I have to admit, I didn’t know you were following me. You’re getting better, Page.”

She had two choices. Turn and flee, ignore she had seen him or invaded on this moment and probably never see Frank Castle again. Or she could reverse direction, come forward, laying the flowers atop the tombstone before curling down to side beside Frank, staring at the tombstone before her. Lisa Castle.

“In fairness you’re not losing anything,” she said, glancing sidelong at him though being so careful about how she sat, how she didn’t quite look at him. “I just thought Maria should have flowers today.” Unspoken were words about him not being able to bring them, not knowing he would take the chance of being here. “You know you could be seen,” she pointed out, uselessly. He had to know that as much as she did.

“You see me, so guess you’re right.” He fell quiet again, fingers brushing over the denim covering his calf, just above his boot. “Thanks, okay? You’re right. She should have flowers.”

Silence settled between them. Karen wasn’t sure if it was comfortable or not. Not sure if she was comfortable or not, but she knew she was glad she’d had the thought, glad Ellison had kicked her out of the office. She’d have to tell him that later, even if she never told him why.

“Was it you or him following me last week?”

She hadn’t meant to ask the question but it was on her mind, and suddenly the words were blurted out.

Castle barked out a hard laugh.

“You mean when you met with that kid with more hardware than me and an itchy trigger finger that was supposed to tell you about the Irish rebuilding?”

Well, that answered that.

“I don’t need…”

“What did I tell you about running away from the bullets, Page?”

“Great advice none of you are listening to.”

“Don’t you give me that. These things out there. They’re not your war. They’re not your battle.”

“It’s my town, my city, my people. Don’t you act like I don’t have a stake in this. This war, these battles? They tried to destroy my life and they’ve taken away a lot from me, and I’m not backing down.”

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

That was the million dollar question, and it took Karen back. She paused, frowning, utterly confused by the question. She should have been able to answer back immediately, to respond in the negative. Except she had never once thought about that question, or about why she kept rushing in where angels feared to tread but Devils and Punishers didn’t.

Shifting on the grass, not caring if she left grass stains on her skirt, needing to look at him directly as she answered, even if he didn’t meet her gaze. 

“No, I’m trying everything I can not to die, and to try and keep others in Hell’s Kitchen alive as well,’ she said, meaning it. Realizing in that moment why she couldn’t give up, couldn’t let these things go. “Frank, look at me.”

She wasn’t sure he would, but he turned his head, dark, pained gaze meeting her own. “What?”

“I can’t walk away from Hell’s Kitchen and all of the innocent souls there anymore than Daredevil can. Or anymore than you can stop what you’re doing. Don’t think I haven’t seen the evidence, even if the cops aren’t putting it all together.”

The silence was there again, staring into one another’s eyes, neither seeming willing to blink. Not physically or emotionally. 

“You’re nosy, Page. You’ve got to stop sticking your nose into things before you come back without one.”

“Yeah well, it’s a look that works for Voldemort, so why not?”

The answer was flippant, unwilling to back down. Castle rolled his eyes even as he pushed himself to his feet.

“You took the worst you could from Red and Me, and I don’t know why but I’m going to be pissed if I have to bury you too,” he said, stomping off across the manicured lawn, heading for the gates.

She sighed, shaking her head as she looked back to the tombstones. “Marie, your husband is a pain in the ass.”

Karen was pretty sure it wasn’t news to the woman, and she was likely nodding her head wherever she was.


End file.
